Top News Headlines
IRS official refuses to answer questions at scandal hearing
WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service official at the center of a scandal about extra tax scrutiny of conservative groups told Congress on Wednesday she had done nothing wrong but invoked her constitutional right not to answer questions. | Video
West may boost Syria rebels if Assad won't talk peace
AMMAN - Washington threatened on Wednesday to increase support for Syria's rebels if President Bashar al-Assad refuses to discuss a political end to a civil war that is spreading across borders.
Bernanke says more progress needed before stimulus pullback
WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve's monetary stimulus is helping the economy recover but the central bank needs to see further signs of traction before taking its foot off the gas pedal, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Wednesday. | Video
British soldier hacked to death in suspected Islamist attack
LONDON - A British soldier was hacked to death by two men shouting Islamic slogans in a south London street on Wednesday, in what the government said appeared to be a terrorist attack.
HP raises 2013 outlook as Whitman's plan takes hold
SAN FRANCISCO - Hewlett-Packard Co raised its 2013 earnings outlook after quarterly results beat low expectations, as CEO Meg Whitman's turnaround plan helped offset shrinking personal computer sales with enterprise computing services.
Main Bahrain opposition group temporarily boycotts talks
DUBAI - Bahrain's main opposition group suspended its participation in reconciliation talks with the government for two weeks on Wednesday, blaming the slow pace of talks and the raid last week on a top Shi'ite Muslim cleric's home.
Oklahoma tornado victims astounded at how they survived
MOORE, Oklahoma - Tornado survivors thanked God, sturdy closets and luck in explaining how they lived through the colossal twister that devastated an Oklahoma town and killed 24 people, an astonishingly low toll given the extent of destruction. | Video
Man linked to Boston bombing suspect killed by FBI in Florida
ORLANDO, Fla./WASHINGTON - A Chechen immigrant who was being questioned about his possible links to one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects was shot and killed by a federal agent in Florida on Wednesday after he suddenly turned violent, the FBI said.
Home sales close in on three-and-a-half year high
WASHINGTON - Home resales rose in April to the highest level in nearly 3-1/2 years and prices surged, offering the economy a buffer from the stiff headwinds posed by belt-tightening by Washington.
Analysis: From opera to exercises, U.S. and China deepen military ties
WASHINGTON - Even as the United States accuses China of military espionage and worries about Beijing's more strident posture in the Asia-Pacific region, the ties between the armed forces of the two nations have been getting closer.
McCain, Biden coming together for Sedona, Arizona forum
These days Washington is not known for bipartisanship, but every now and then a breakthrough is made. It is noteworthy that Vice President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and Senator John McCain, a Republican, are appearing together at a forum in Sedona, Arizona on Friday.


